Human beings are travelers and explorers at heart; it’s one of the things that has helped us thrive as a species and has brought us all closer together as we’ve discovered and colonised new territories all over the globe.
The invention of the automobile has given all of us the chance to head out onto the open road to do our own exploring, and Hollywood has given us so many great car movies to fire our imaginations.
Road trips are now in the heart and soul of everyone who has seen one on the big screen and you don’t need to be a gear head to dream of blasting down the highways in exactly the right car, listening to exactly the right song, with the girl/boy of your dreams by your side.
So here are the 5 road trips you need to make and the cars to make them in.
You can supply the music and the company yourselves.
1. Route 66, USA with Ford Mustang Convertible
It’s THE road trip for a reason. It’s got a song about it and features in several movies. It’s America’s road and driving it will take you from coast to coast through some of the most obvious tourist destinations and some of the most weird and wonderful sights you could imagine along the way. You’ll see amazing scenery and meet incredible people and while you COULD be practical and get an SUV that will make this a more comfortable journey, deep down you know you want a Ford Mustang Convertible that will make you look and feel like the coolest road trippers out there. Go on, do it.
2. Gobi Desert, Mongolia with a UAZ van
Roads? Where we’re going we don’t need roads! That may have been from Back To The Future, but it also applies to one of the great road trips you will ever make. The Gobi Desert in Mongolia isn’t for the faint-hearted, but if you’re an adventurous soul, blasting through its mixture of roads, tracks and dunes is the trip of a lifetime. You won’t get a fancy muscle car here, just an old Russian-made van, but it’ll get through you through some of the most remote and wondrous landscapes you’ll ever experience in your life. When you’re not riding camels, of course.
3. South Island Circuit, New Zealand with a Camper Van
If you’ve admired the scenery of New Zealand in the Lord Of The Rings trilogy and always wanted to experience it yourself, why not take the plunge and head to the South Island circuit? Traveling in a camper van is a New Zealand tradition, so you’ll feel right at home in your home on wheels while you see some of the most remarkable scenery the Southern Hemisphere has to offer, from the Fjordland to the Southern Alps. You really won’t have an experience like it anywhere else.
4. San Juan Skyway, USA with a Chevy Colorado
What better vehicle for a Colorado road trip than a Chevy Colorado? It’s a classic American pickup truck that you will have always wanted to drive and comes with the power and comfort you need for a journey through one of the most beautiful states in the States. The best time to visit is in the Fall when the seasonal colors are at their most stunning, while the winter snow is starting to take hold in the higher parts of the region.
Looking for more trip ideas for Colorado? Here’s why you need to visit Pagosa Springs in Colorado.
5. The Ring Road, Iceland with a Toyota Land Cruiser
If you want to feel like you’re the only people alive on a brand new planet that has just exploded to life, you can’t do much better than to head to the Ring Road in Iceland. It may have a name like a dull, overcrowded commuter road in a built-up city, but it’s a world away from that, instead taking you right around the whole of the island, giving you the full range of scenery, including lava fields, snowy mountain ranges and volcanos. For that kind of thing, you need a big, strong, reliable 4WD and the Land Cruiser will do the job in style.
If you’re planning on sleeping in your car to save on your accommodation budget, make sure to read our post on the top tips for sleeping in your car along with our top road trip tips.
